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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 5, 2016

LeBron James

Oakland, California: Game Two

Warriors 110, Cavaliers 77

Q. At this point, are you frustrated or disappointed with your team, with the performance after Game 1 and 2?
LEBRON JAMES: Neither. I'm not disappointed in our guys or frustrated. We've just got to do a better job. We've got to be better at all facets of the game both offensively and defensively, both physically and mentally.

They just beat us at every -- we didn't win anything. No points of the game did we beat them in anything. Even when we had an early lead, they beat us to 50-50 balls, they got extra possessions, they got extra tip-ins. They beat us pretty good tonight.

Q. I realize you're a team player, but is there a point where you say I have to be more selfish to help my team out in this series?
LEBRON JAMES: Selfish is probably the wrong term. I got myself in a lot of trouble tonight personally. Turned the ball over way too much. And I said after Game 1 we just can't turn the ball over against a great team and expect to win, and I had basically half of the turnovers. We had some in the fourth quarter, but we had our third group in. They had some. But I had half of the turnovers when I came out, and it resulted in them getting some easy baskets.

So I've got to be better. I've got to be better with the ball. You know, trying to play make for myself and play make for my teammates at the same time, I've just got to be more solid.

Q. Just following up on the turnover situation. You guys didn't have any turnovers in the first quarter, and you held them to 19 points. Do you feel one of the key things to get this turned around at home is if you can keep those turnovers down you can slow down the game, and, like you said, keep them out of transition?
LEBRON JAMES: Well, that's one of them. That's one way to slow them down a little bit. You're able to set your defense. The game kind of broke open when we had two straight turnovers. I think game was at 28-22, I turned the ball over. Draymond got it and was able to hit I think Livingston for a dunk. And then we had another turnover and Klay hit a three, and that kind of slowed us down. Even though we were still getting back in the game, it just slowed us down from that point on. We had the lead, and it started with my turnover, and I can't just be careless with the ball, especially in the paint where a lot of reaching and things of that nature happen.

So 18 turnovers once again for 26 points, I think it was 17 for 25 in Game 1. It's just not good basketball.

Q. You gave your squad headphones before the game today with an inspirational quote. What was your message to them and did they receive it?
LEBRON JAMES: I give my teammates stuff throughout the whole year. All the time. It's no different. We understand the moment that we're in, and it's not -- it's not every year that you get an opportunity to be in this situation, you know? And some of the guys on our team, it's their first time and they've waited their whole life to get to this point.

So we know we've got to just do a little bit better. We've got to play better. We've got to play a lot better in order to get this series turned around. I know the other side is looking forward to coming to our building where they had a lot of success last year, so we've got to bear down.

Q. Last year with all the injuries and the adversity and the odds, you know, you guys just gutted your way to two wins. Now you've got -- until Kevin went down, but otherwise everybody was healthy, and Ty Lue's here and everything. Most of the buttons he had pushed had been working. Is there a sense that maybe you guys are just let down because of what you've done through all these Playoffs just isn't working?
LEBRON JAMES: We've got to get back to the film and we all have to figure out ways we can help the team be successful. It's hard for me to kind of pinpoint what's not working and what could work right now. Obviously not much is working, especially offensively. Defensively we've been good at times and then at times we just looked like, okay, we're a step slow. We messed up on the coverage. We don't get back or we're just one step behind where we should be. We should be closer to our man. When you're behind these guys, they make you pay every single time.

We can't have as many mental lapses. More on the physical, it's a lot of mental as well. These guys put you in so many mental positions where you have to figure it out, and they make you pay for it when you don't.

Q. LeBron, the last couple months you guys are the team they've been talking about, how different you guys are. You're different, you're not the team from last year this season. In these last two games in particular, has it been that you guys have slipped and fallen from what has made you different, or is it something the Warriors have done to take away what you guys have established?
LEBRON JAMES: What we've done these last two games doesn't put a damper or a cloud over how we got to this point. We're still here and we have a chance to turn this series around if we come in and do what we need to do both offensively and defensively. So I'm not worried about that side or what the conversations may be about. Internally we have to figure out how we can be better. We have to figure out how we can help one another. We definitely have to figure out how we can get more guys involved. 15 assists, it's not winning basketball, especially versus this team. We've just got to figure it out. Coaching staff will give us a game plan, and it's up to us to go out and execute it.

Q. After the 2014 Finals, I remember you were asked was that the best team you've ever faced, and you said, yeah, I'd agree with that. Have these Warriors changed your mind on that?
LEBRON JAMES: 2014 is something I haven't even thought about. This is a great team, and I stated that before the series ever started. They've got two of the best shooters that we've ever seen, and they're a great team. So I've already stated that.

Q. You are shouldering some of the blame for this and say you didn't live up to the way you like to play. How do you process a loss when you do feel like it could be part of your fault versus maybe it's out of your control? What are the next couple days going to be like for you?
LEBRON JAMES: The next couple days will be not -- I won't be reflecting. I'll figure out ways I can be better, starting as soon as I leave this podium. Probably go back to the room and watch the game, re-watch for ways I could have been better. I had a lot of uncharacteristic unforced turnovers which resulted in those guys getting 26 points off turnovers. So I'm one of the guys who kind of always wants to shoulder the blame and take the blame when we don't play as well as we should. It's just who I am, and I've got to be better.

Q. Draymond Green has never scored more than 16 points against you guys in a Finals game until tonight. What was it about everything that happened in that game that made Draymond such a force at both ends of the floor tonight?
LEBRON JAMES: He made shots. Give credit where credit is due. The guy made shots. Not only when we left him open and contested late, but he made shots in our face. He had five threes. And we know he's a key for their team, we all know that, an All-Star for their team. And he made some big plays both offensively and defensively, obviously. We know what he does defensively for that team, so game ball to him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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